Preservation Assessment of Humanities Collection

FAIN: PG-50015-07

Indiana University of Pennsylvania Research Institute (Indiana, PA 15701-2898)
Theresa McDevitt (Project Director: May 2006 to December 2007)

A preservation assessment of records and artifacts created or owned by the Rochester and Pittsburgh Coal Company, the largest mining operation in Southwestern Pennsylvania, from 1881 to the end of the 20th century. Among the rare items in this collection are maps that document digging activity in the mine and property lines above ground since 1886.

The grant would allow the Special Collections and Archives Department of the Indiana University of Pennsylvania to contract with a consultant to do a general preservation survey of the Rochester and Pittsburgh Coal Company Records and Artifacts, a unique and highly significant collection of coal company records, maps, blueprints, architectural drawings, artwork, furniture, and mining artifacts. The collection presently resides in an off-site location with less than optimum environmental controls. A consultant from the Northeast Document Conservation Center will carry out a survey to: assess possible risks to the collections from building and environment related problems; address fire protection and security concerns, including emergency preparedness; evaluate institutional policies and procedures as they apply to preservation; provide recommendations for improving storage and handling practices; and review the general condition of paper based collections.